Huge majority of federal public servants have taken the mandatory jab

Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says 95.3 per cent of federal public servants have indicated they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

She says another 2.7 per cent of the roughly 268,000 employees of the core federal public service say they have been partially immunized.

Fortier says 1.2 per cent — or about 3,150 public servants — are requesting exemptions, which are being assessed on a case-by-case basis by each federal department.

She says 0.5 per cent have declared they are unvaccinated and 0.3 per cent have so far not attested to their vaccination status, which they were supposed to do by Oct. 29.

Under a policy announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month, federal employees who refuse to disclose their vaccination status or refuse to be immunized will be placed on administrative leave without pay as soon as Nov. 15.

The policy allows employees to request accommodation — such as being allowed to work from home or being reassigned — if they are unable to be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons.

In a statement released late Wednesday, Fortier thanked public servants for stepping up in the fight against COVID-19.

"The Government of Canada is our country’s largest employer. I would like to thank the more than a quarter of a million public servants across Canada and around the world who have demonstrated leadership in our national vaccination effort against COVID-19," she said.

"We know that having a fully vaccinated workforce means that not only are work sites safer, so are the communities where this large population lives and works. It also means better protection for Canadians coming in-person to access government services."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2021.